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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110364">See The Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunstar121/pseuds/sunstar121'>sunstar121</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Clay | Dream and Ranboo are Siblings (Video Blogging RPF), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Fix-It of Sorts, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Multiple Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Nonbinary Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Not RPF, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ranboo Gets a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Shapeshifter Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Trans Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:21:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunstar121/pseuds/sunstar121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Somehow, maybe now, I'll find the words to say<br/>Never thought I'd see the day)</p>
<p>There are two constants in Dreams life, two facts that he knows will never change. One, he has severely fucked up in the past.  He has hurt people and done so many wrongs, and hes not quite sure how he feels about that.  Two, he has a little brother, who he has not seen in… well. A very long time, to say the least.</p>
<p>Nothing is set in stone.  Everything changes eventually.  Ranboo joins the SMP, and helps his big brother become a better person.</p>
<p>(title from see the day by the altogether)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Antfrost &amp; Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Darryl Noveschosch &amp; Sapnap, Clay | Dream &amp; Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Eret &amp; Niki | Nihachu &amp; Ranboo, Eret &amp; Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ranboo &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo &amp; Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Other(s), Ranboo &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>632</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>BUCKLE UP LOL</p>
<p>ofc dsmp is the fandom to break me out of my fanfic rut.... anyways, buckle up cause this is gonna be a wild ride.  I've got big brother!dream brainrot and I'm making that yalls problem </p>
<p>no set update schedule sorry, adhd go brr &lt;3</p>
<p>(Ranboo uses he/they/xe pronouns in this fic!)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'Dee?'</p>
<p>The scratching of a pen against paper stilled, and a chair creaked as someone shifted in it.  A smile graced the persons face, and they held their arms out.  The other person, younger than the first, took a running start, and leapt into the older's arms.  The older smiled, and cradled the younger's head.  His hands carded through their hair gently.  The younger grinned, showing off two missing teeth.  He snorted and ruffled the younger's hair, earning a small whine from them.</p>
<p>'Yes, lil boo?'  His voice was soft, one you'd use to comfort a small child, or a distressed person.  The younger wrinkled their nose at the nickname, and wriggled around in his grasp.  He laughed, and set them onto the floor.</p>
<p>'Do…… awe you eva' gonna get sick of me?'  The question shocked him some, especially with how earnestly it was asked.  They stared up at him with large eyes, red and green shiny with tears.  He pressed a kiss to their split colored forehead, and smiled.</p>
<p>'No, I don't think so.  Are you ever gonna get sick of me?'  They gasped at his question, immediately shaking their head.  They threw their arms around his waist and squeezed tight, eliciting a wheezy laugh from him.</p>
<p>'No no no no no!!  Nevew', no!! I'll nevew' get sick of you, dee!'  The kid sounded near tears, their voice shaking as they spoke.  He swept them up into his arms again, another kiss pressed to their forehead, a hand through their hair.</p>
<p>'I know, boo, I know,' He set his head on top of theirs, and gave a little hum, 'You don't have to worry about losing me, bud, okay?  I'm not going anywhere.'</p>
<p>He could feel their lips curl into a smile against his chest, and he couldn't contain his own smile at the feeling.  The kid pulled back a little, and stared up at him.  They brought their hands up to either side of his face and gave a small squeeze.  He raised an eyebrow, which got a small laugh from them.</p>
<p>'Whatcha… whatcha doing there, pup?'  They giggled, pressing a palm flat against the left side of his face.  He stiffened slightly.  The scar running over his lip prickled slightly at the contact, but the kids hands were soft enough that it wasn't unbearable.</p>
<p>'Jus…. you don't take off youw' mask alot…. I like youw' face!!  'S nice lookin..'  They mumbled, tracing the scar up to his left eyebrow.  His face softened some at that.  Maybe, maybe he should start wearing his mask around the house less.  His little brother sure seemed to like seeing his face, and he wasn't in any danger at the house.  No one would be able to see him, well, except for the people who had already seen his face.  He shook his head slightly, and grinned at his brother.</p>
<p>'Thank you. I love you, boo.' </p>
<p>'Oh!!!! I love you too, Dweam!'</p>
<p>-~-~-~-~\___________________________</p>
<p>'͙̯̦̱͕D͎̠̹̱͔̳̰r͚̳̞͉͍̠e͔̙̞a͏̖̬͎̞̙ͅm̪̟̻͙̙?̪̜̰̞͚ ͘ ̹̱W̶̮̯h͏̰̺͉͕̬̝at̤͚̜͉̘̘'s̡͙ ̹͉̞͚h̠̮̠͖͞a͍͔̻̫͠p͘p̙̩͉̮͇̮e̙̩̺n͉̤̬i͞n̖̰̬͔͠g̲̠͎̳̲?̢͎̳̪̻̱͈͕'̯̝̩̠͕͢</p>
<p>̢̜̖̝̗ͅ<br/>
͕'̛Ŗ̰̤̹a̩̰̬͔͢n̮̠̠͘b̠o̧o̘̫̦̙͖̳̪,̗͕̫̹ ̵͈͕͖͎̳̜R͔̫̖͓̞a̟̼̗n̲̩̙͇͕b̸oo̘̠͖ͅ,҉̘̭̯̣ ̺̱͕͝i̻͜ ͙̺͚͚ṋ͚e͎̲̟͔̱̠̻͞ḛ̟̗̯̼̦̼d͏͔̺̯̣͕ ̥̳̩̜̪̬ͅy̪͉̻o̳̯̝̯̪u̷̼̦̺̜̫ t̞͕͔̩o̝̯͓̜ ̜̰̖̦̹̗͉͠l̺̦̺͍̳̭̤͝i̜͇st̟̦̯ͅe͎̻̬̱̬̕n̩͕̮͙̥̙͇ ͕̥̝̳̦̠̩̕t̼o ̱m̧̟̦͙͍e͞,͉̥̟͇̘͔̞ ̤̻̮̮o̪̥̘̪̟k̡̗̗͍̗a͉y̺̟̗̯?҉̞͔̙͉̤͖̠'̩͎̻̞</p>
<p>̘͔͖̣͠<br/>
̤'̟̩̯̼̘ͅO̬̦-̞̻̫͍ͅo͇͝ķ͙a̠͈̟̪y.̻̟͙̗̪.̡͔̦͇͚̞.̡̭̞̺̺̱͕͉.̭̙̘̼'͏͍̪̖̫<br/>
̞̪͉̞̰̦̬<br/>
͟'Ṱ̡̺̫̜̹̩̠h҉e̥͕͚̞͡ͅͅr̰̹e̸͓͖̹͙̪̹ͅ ͕̮̠̥a̺̥re̻̦ s͉͖̖̠̙̼̪͡o̥m̛̗̫̬͎͉̹e̕ ̟͍̹̼b̙͔̖̪ͅa̗̥̰̯̖͔d̠͙̯͈ ͕͎̗p̡͕ͅe͕̗͎͖͇͚͢o̡̲̖̖̝̦ͅp҉̺̱̘͇̺̝̲le̴̯ ̵̗c̯͕͕o̸̹m̲̬̣i̜̯̰̩n̺͎̜͎̖̱͍g͚͝ ͘a͈̪̗̫̦f̩̠͎̼ͅt̗̙̠e̜̲͇̬̱͍r̭̤ ̸͚̜̪̮͎m͉e̯̞̦͕͟ͅ,̫͖͓̮̖̪͞ ͕a̦͎̤̥̠n̟̠̭͢d͇̖̠ ͖̺̖̠͎̝y̠̰̭̙͚o̲̦̞ͅu̵ ̪n̬̖̰͢ẹ͡e͔̰̖̙̮̲̲d̼̣ ͖̲͇̤̯t̸̹̝o ̫̞̮̗͕͖͔g̞̱̥̟͎̳o̥̯ ̢͕͚̱s̼̲t͍̙̦a͞y̧̘͙͈͍ ̗w̗̘̝̰̙i̖t͚͞h ̖͝my̺ ͈͞f҉r̡̙̠i̱̖̲͉̠e͍̻n̛̜d͟ ͎f̫̮̞͕o̴r͖̭̯̬̺͖͖ ̡̬̰a̵̼͎̦̥̥͙ͅ ̵w̭̘̹̩̰h̠̥̘̠i̙̻͇͈̳͉̜͢l͕̙͈̫͇̰͘e̥͖̺̲̬̥ ̡̜̰̞̱͈w̭̝͙͙̖̻͞h̨̗̞̰͎̞͖i̯̘̟͎̳̰ļ̦̬͓̖͖͈͎e̕ ͜I̭ ͎̳͎͎̘̖͈͟s̙̦͍̪o͞r̳̹̫͇̭͇͠ͅt͖̜̼̥̣̕ ͏̤͎͖̩͇̙ͅi̙t̛͕̫ ͎̮͓͙̮̠̹͝o͚̩̯͖͘u̬t̲͖, ̟̤̟o̘̼͖̻̻̥k̤͠a̭̰̬͈ỵ͓̰̼͍̕ͅ?͏͎̱͕͕̖̹'̮̖̭̲̫̝ͅ</p>
<p>̖͕<br/>
҉̟'̖̲̥͇O̥̥̣̯͚͜ͅk͏̝͉͙͉̪a̢͎̮ͅy̷̫͙̼̱͕̹ͅ,̸̼͚̮ ͓̙̘͇b̶̼̲̘̟̣u̦͔t̕ ̖͓̝͈̬̙͝D̖̫rea͇̭̲m̗͇͖͎̖̬͜-̡'̤</p>
<p>̞͖̱̙̲<br/>
̵̣'͇͓̳S̝̜̟̬͕̠̘h̝͚͔̮͚i̦͙͕̙̙̩̤t̝̝-̸̱ ̱̞͍c͓̪͓̩o͔̯̺̼̩m͓̪̙͚̪̠e̢̠̩ ̲o͏͍͇̳n̻̙̞,̕ ̬̮̪͕͝b̬͖͖͜ͅo̱͎̮͈͖̠ͅo͏͎,̷͙͍̥̤ ̝w҉̮e̼͔̗ͅ ͕̺̥n͈̦̞̗̖̮͈͢ee͕͕̺̰̜d̶͉͚͇̖ ̣͔̬͢t͏̖͈͉̦̫̠̳o ̷̟̯͓̝g̱͚͉̯o̘̰͞!͕̗͢ͅ'͓̼</p>
<p> </p>
<p>̹̹̗͟ͅ'͡O̻̰̟̠̗̺̙k̘̖̯̭͙a͖̲̘y͕̜̦̰̥,̗̣͎̗ ̰̭͉̹o̙̜̭̫̬k̵̫̮̭̝͇̭ͅa̗̲̱͖̯ͅy.̴̪̫͉͕͖ ̢̗̱͚̙̗̪I̟̺̳ ͟lo̥̣̜͓̬͙͡v͖̱e҉̥̰̲̹ ̬̻y͝o͓͈̗̲̩͉̱ṳ̷̦̺̖,͍̳͍ ̷̬͍̱b͕̥̩̗͟i͍̦͠g̮ ̩̕b̜o̺̦̟͖͟o̢̦̣̤̳̘͓.͎̺̳̭̻'͉</p>
<p>̖̯<br/>
͖̦̯͙͉̬'̵̠̘̲ͅI̴̜͖̬ ̸̹̹̪͍ḽ̰͉o͓̣̳̱̗v̫͟e͇ ̰̻̝y҉̖̳̭̞̱̝o̤u̟̩͘ t̮o͖̱̻̝̣o.͇ ̶͔ ̴͕̬͚̻̖͎̬P̹̲̗͕̫l̡e҉̳͇a̪̩̰̲s̨̻̭͙͎ę̳̪͈̣̘ ̗͓͝d̘̰̩̣̮̝̼o̷̥̖͙̼n̴'t̛̲ ̯̤̭̦̯̫f̥̯͉̺̗͕o̺̭̳̟̹͞r͢ģ̳̠̭̻̲̠e̜̣̳ṱ̮̠͕͙͇̕ ͚̝̻͕m̲̞̰̪͕̕e.͇̝͎̙̝̻͜'͍͓</p>
<p>___________________/~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-</p>
<p>In the early hours of the day, heterochromic eyes blink open.  They are bathed with golden sunlight, lighting up the red and green irises with a near iridescent glow.  The owner of the eyes yawned, his jaw clicking and unhinging smoothly, before setting back in place.  The teenager sat up slowly.  As he did so his back cracked loudly, the sound making him wince.  It cut through the quiet of the room like a hot knife through butter, completely disrupting the serenity of the scene.  He huffed- so much for a slow, quiet morning.  He wasn't expecting something as simple as his back cracking to ruin his day, but there he was! </p>
<p>He stood up, joints clicking and popping with the movements, and began to start his day.  His hair was quickly brushed, the black and white strands separated neatly.  He threw on his regular suit and boots, not wanting to risk wearing his dress shoes.  Not today, today was going to be special.  If he needed to run, dress shoes would impede his abilities to immensely.  No, no, none of that today.  Today was going to be a good day.</p>
<p>Significantly cheerier now, he checked over his packed bag.  Memory book, check.  Extra paper and pens, check.  Spare sets of clothes, check.  Rations, che- well, he's not sure if he'd count a package of crackers, some bread, a small container of beef jerky, some granola bars, and two large water bottles as rations, but it'd have to do.  </p>
<p>He hadn't had much time to assemble these rations, plus Hypixel didn't exactly have an area where he could buy them.  He'd had to procure these items through bartering (and stealing, mostly), and it had taken him the better part of two months to get this all.  No matter, it was time well spent.  It didn't matter if his supplies weren't exactly top notch, especially if his plans went well.  Which they were, of course!  His plans were meticulous and accounted for every possibility.  There was no way this could go wrong!</p>
<p>Well- maybe he shouldn't go that far- wait- he quickly rapped his knuckles against his wooden walls, and breathed a sigh of relief.  Alright, enough fucking around.  It was time.</p>
<p>He padded out of his dorm, light on his feet as to not alert anyone else in the building.  Usually, he didn't like that Hypixel was so loud, but today it came in handy.  He could hardly hear his own footsteps over the cheering coming from a nearby stadium, the music from its speakers thrumming through the air.  The teenager quietly made their way through the B-Dorm, twin tails wrapped tightly around their ankles.  </p>
<p>Even though they were prepared, maybe even over prepared really, anxiety still festered in their stomach.  There was a real probability that they could get caught while doing this, and they knew the punishment would be harsh.  Breaking into a private server was incredibly illegal, and Hypixel didn't exactly treat criminals too nicely.  They could still see the mark on their back from when they were caught stealing one time.  The memory made them shiver, and they picked up their pace.  It was no time for reminiscing, they had a job to do and they had to do it quickly.</p>
<p>The walk to the server portals was uneventful.  A few people waved at them as they walked, but other than that, the lobby was empty.  Good, it meant that there weren't any people around to witness their crime.</p>
<p>They quickly sidled up to one of the portals, fishing their comms out of their pocket.  A pop-up lit up the small screen, cheerily blinking a message at them</p>
<p>'INPUT DESIRED SERVER IP:<br/>
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _'</p>
<p>Their fingers shook slightly as they typed, flying across the small keyboard rapidly.  The frantic nature of the typing meant they had to retype a few characters, but, eventually, the long string of numbers sat blinking back at them.  They quickly reread the code, making sure it was correct.  If it wasn't, they'd get spat out into some random server, and that wouldn't be good, now would it?  </p>
<p>No, they knew where this would lead them, and it was going to be good.  Great, even! Amazing, they might dare to venture!  They would finally be out of the hellhole that was Hypixel, and maybe even find somewhere to permanently settle down. </p>
<p>Nah, who were they kidding?  They probably would never find a permanent place, and they had come to terms with that fact years ago.  They were a freak of nature, a hybrid that no one ever seemed to want for more than a couple months at a time.  They were fine with that, though.  It didn't- it didn't matter.  A few months or a year, it still meant that they had somewhere safe to be for a little while, and that's all they could truly ask for.</p>
<p>They shook their head gently as if to physically clear their thoughts like an etch-a-sketch, and looked back at the comms in their hands.  Well.  It was now or never, wasn't it?  With shaking hands they brought up a single finger, and without pause, hit enter.</p>
<p>Immediately, the portal before him gushed with light.  The bright purple swirls flooded the room with a lilac hue, and at the sight of it, he grinned.  Slowly the purple shifted hues, and eventually it settled on a lime green.  His eyes shone with excitement as he quickly stored his comms, and tentatively approached the portal.  The air around it was slightly cool, a refreshing feeling compared to the constant beating sun that Hypixel offered.  It smelled of pine, ozone, and cold wind, the smells swirling into a comforting aura.  </p>
<p>Stepping back slightly, he cast one last glance at the lobby.  This place had been his home for…. Well, he wasn't sure how long, his memory was terrible after all.  A long time, a few years probably.  However long, it had still been his home, and for that he was grateful.</p>
<p>Not that grateful, though.  He raised up both middle fingers, and stepped back into the portal.</p>
<p>For a moment, there was nothing.  For a moment, he was nothing.  His consciousness swam in a white void, both everything and nothing all at once.  It was peaceful.  Maybe this is what it felt like to be truly, honestly safe, he mused.</p>
<p>And then, light.  And then, sound.  And then, touch.  And then, life.  And then, everything.</p>
<p>
  <em>and the universe said I love you because you are love.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>You are the player.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wake up.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And he wakes up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A sound rang out across the lands of a server, the ping echoing from every member's comms.  Most do not pay the sound mind, either too busy going about their days, or simply sleeping.  Some, though, unlock their comms, and are left to gape at the message in the global chat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The world trembles, and fate twists.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There is a message on everyone's lips, tasting of chocolate, raspberries, cream, and oranges.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>[Ranboo has joined the game]</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the sun is rising up half the way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ranboo joins the SMP.  Things go......not according to plan.</p><p>The stories two players finally meet.  Welcome to the plot, boys.</p><p>warning for minor gore, and descriptions of being dissolved in acid and torn apart.  basically, ranboo gets banned and his body self-destructs for a bit.  stay safe lads</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>omg hiiiii *twirls my hair around my finger* </p><p>thank you all for the incredible reception of the first chapter, I'm very excited to continue with the story :D!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Ranboo felt when he woke up was soft grass underneath his fingers.</p><p>The strands threaded themselves between the extremities, plush and just slightly damp against his skin.  They shifted as he shifted, and he pulled his hands up as they tickled his palms.  His hands came to rest on his chest, and for the first time since he regained the ability to, he flicked his ears and tuned in to his surroundings.</p><p>Bird calls met his ears, bright and melodic as they filtered through the air.  In his incredibly unprofessional opinion, they sounded like blackbirds, or maybe chickadees?  Was there a difference between the two?  One- one was..  black and white, wasn't it, and the other was- he shook his head.  It didn't matter, they were pretty and their songs soothed his ears in a way the birds at Hypixel never could.  </p><p>Other than the birds, the ambient noises of a forest surrounded him.  He could hear trees creaking, their branches brushing against each other and bark crackling as it shifted and settled.  Leaves blow and brush in the soft wind that filtered through the forest, the breeze whistling in his ears.  Something skittered off to his left, quick and light on its feet, causing a bush to sway wildly in its wake.  Besides the creaking and small movements, the entire scene was just…. Calm.  Serene.  For the first time in a very, very long time, he felt at peace.  He felt as though he was safe here, laying flat on his back in an unfamiliar clearing in an unfamiliar server with unfamiliar birds chattering in his ears.</p><p>Prime, it even smelled nice!  The wind was just slightly cold and carried with it the scent of pine needles, rot, flowers, and oak wood.  Xyr nose twitched as the hearty scent of a rabbit reached it- well, that explained the thing that was skittering around earlier.  Together they all worked to settle and calm xym, the ground seeming much softer and safer than it did when xe first appeared.  Xe almost didn't want to get up or open xyr eyes, knowing the serenity would be instantly crushed the moment he did.</p><p>Life doesn't always care for our choices, though, and this strange new world certainly didn't care for xyrs.  A branch snapped suddenly off to xyr right, and xyr eyes flew open.</p><p>They were staring up at a beautiful, clear blue sky, oak and spruce trees reaching into the corner of their vision.  They shifted onto their elbows, and gazed around.  They were sat in a clearing edged with trees and bushes, flowers dotting here and there in spotty patches.  Daffodils, tulips, and forget-me-nots were scattered around, bright colours popping amongst the dark earthy tones of the forest.  If he squinted, he could make out something sticking out of the gloom in the distance.  It looked like- walls, maybe?  They thought they could see the overlapping pattern of stone bricks, and maybe spruce too?  Some sort of darker wood, probably spruce from the grain.</p><p>Ranboo heaved themself to their feet, knees and back crackling as they got up.  Their bag was laying a few feet away, and they scooped it up before spinning around to take in more of the scenery.  More trees, more walls in the distance, a few creeper holes and torches… nothing spectacular, really.  They'd kinda been expecting more from the famous Dream SMP, but hey, looks can be deceiving!  They could walk out of this walled area and be in an absolute paradise!</p><p>Well, actually, that one was pretty unrealistic.  There were no sounds of people around, no movements except their own.  If this place was a paradise, it would have had some sounds of movement coming from it.  No, this just seemed like a ratty place in the wilderness.</p><p>So much for the supposed beauty of the Dream SMP.</p><p>As xe stood, glancing around, xe became aware of the aggressive buzzing coming from xyr pocket.  Xe quickly fished out xyr comms, seeing multiple unread messages in the global chat.  With a deep breath, xe opened the chat.</p><p>
  <strong>[Ranboo has joined the game]</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Dream: wtf?</strong>
</p><p>Ranboo snorted at the messages, rolling his eyes as his shoulders shook with laughter.  He- he should probably type back, huh?  This 'Punz' person and 'Dream' person seemed pretty confused- who wouldn't be in this situation honestly- so he might as well talk with them.</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: UH</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: looks like my hacking worked</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: my bad</strong>
</p><p>He snickered to himself, and tucked the comms back into his pocket.  </p><p>For a moment, everything was fine.  He took another few steps through the forest, heading towards a bright beacon shining through the sky.  </p><p>And then, there was nothing.  And then, he was nothing.</p><p>Once more he found himself in that blank, empty white space, consciousness floating without the tether of a body.  But, unlike last time, there was no strange comfort.</p><p>There was only agony.</p><p>His bones felt like they were being boiled from the inside out, his skin ripped clean off his flesh in jagged scraps.  His eyeballs were plucked straight from his skull, his nails from their beds, his hair from his scalp.  His organs felt like they were being smashed with a baseball bat, squashing and destroying them in the most painful way possible.  The scars dotting his body all snapped open in one movement, ripping and tearing his flesh apart and gushing blood into the pristine white plane.  Ranboo was being dipped in acid, poison licking his veins and infesting his soul.  He was going to <strong>die.</strong></p><p>The pain was quickly too much for him, and he screamed.  The sound echoed around the empty space, piercing his ears terribly.</p><p>And then, touch.  </p><p>And then, sight.  </p><p>And then, being.  </p><p>And then, peace.</p><p>A scream ripped through his throat as his feet hit solid ground, knees buckling underneath him and sending him sprawling to the floor.  The pain was suddenly ripped from him, the only remnants of it being a slight tingle in his muscles.</p><p>They were- they were okay.  All of their body parts were accounted for, they were in one piece.  They were back in the SMP, and.. and it was okay.  They were okay.</p><p>Their comms buzzed in their pocket again, and it took nearly all of their self restraint to not scream as it moved against their skin.  Everything just felt… sore.  Achey.  Gross.  Their skin was prickly and their flesh groaned as it was moved.  If they had a choice in what the rest of the day held for them, they'd probably just choose to go to bed.  Maybe they could just sleep all of this off and pretend it was a dream.</p><p>If only.  No, they were in too deep now, and they had to make the most of it.  They checked their comms, hands only slightly shaking now.</p><p>
  <strong>[Ranboo joined the game]</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thunder1408: This is probably not good.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: eh</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: its fine</strong>
</p><p>Ranboo took a shaky breath, the tremble in their hands finally settling.  The last message hung in the chat too long for their liking, anxiety crawling up their back.  Did… did the server like them?  Was someone just going to banish them to that horrible white space again?  Or, worse, was someone on their way to the spawn to kill them for daring to hack into the server?</p><p>No, no no no, they needed to prove they were okay, needed to prove they were useful to the server.  Maybe, maybe if they endeared themself to the residents, they'd be less likely to kill or ban them… right? Yeah, yeah, all they needed to do was send a funny message to the global chat, make everyone like them, and…. profit!</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: time to take over</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Dream: wtf</strong>
</p><p>……… Shit.  That.  That maybe wasn't the right thing to send.</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: jk jk jk</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Ranboo: …….unless?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Punz: yikes</strong>
</p><p>Prime, he was so, so screwed.  </p><p>____________???______________</p><p>He's glad he wasn't with anyone when the message came in, because he really, really didn't need someone to see him in that vulnerable of a state.</p><p>The ping in the global chat rolled in, and with it, a wave of energy.  This isn't anything unexpected, of course.  Sometimes residents of the realm will temporarily leave, and when they come back a ping and a wave of energy will accompany them.  No one else can feel the energy, but as the admin he's much more in tune to the magic of the world than most.</p><p>No, it's not the energy that throws him off.  It's how familiar it feels.</p><p>Usually, when someone arrives for the first time, their energy is almost uncomfortable with its unfamiliarity.  Something about it will stick in the back of his mind, raising the hairs on his arms and making his back crawl.  It's not until they've been around for quite a while that the feeling settles, the world having finally adapted to a new presence.  Besides the prickles, new members' waves each carry a special something with them.  These things are different for everyone, a kind of marker on a person's soul.</p><p>The most distinct ones he can remember are Sapnaps, Sams, Karls, and Phils.</p><p>Sapnaps left his mouth dry with ash, a fever bubbling up under his forehead and heartburn sizzling his throat.  He'd had to avoid bright lights and lay down for most of the day when Sapnap had joined.  Of course, the man himself was there to help him through it, so that helped him somewhat.</p><p>Sam joining left gunpowder on his tongue and stained his teeth gray.  The stench of ozone followed him around all day, and phantom redstone coloured his fingers and lay under his nails.  He swore he heard creepers hissing in his ears when he stepped into shadows that day, but he couldn't be sure.</p><p>Karl's was just… strange.  Time was incredibly nonlinear that day- he'd looked up after going mining at 1pm to see it was 8am again, and a few minutes later it was 5pm.  Things kept going missing, and he swore his tools had more wear and tear than was normal.</p><p>Phil's tore the breath from his chest with the sheer emotion that he brought with him.  Anger, pain, terror, confusion, desperation, a fleeting hope surged through his system and knocked him to his knees.  As the man soared above his head so did his spirits, and as Wilbur died so did the wave of emotions Phil brought.  All that was left was a crushing sense of defeat and grief, feelings that he didn't manage to shake for a good couple days.</p><p>In the present day, he felt something new in the surge of magic that accompanied the ping.  It threw him off, and he stumbled and nearly tripped over his feet as he walked down the Prime Path.  That wasn't… that wasn't possible.  A familiar wave should not have something new with it, that just- that wasn't possible.  New waves always felt uncomfortable, but this one…. this one just felt warm.</p><p>It didn't stick, it didn't prickle, it just sat neatly in the back of his head like a package dropped at his door. </p><p>The wave felt warm, and soft.  It was plush like a blanket, placed gently on his shoulders and tucked behind his head by a loving hand.  He caught a whiff of ozone and void floating on the wind, accompanied by lavender and baking bread.  His mouth flooded with hot chocolate and dozens of names lay on the tip of his tongue.  He had no clue what they were, just knew that they belonged there.</p><p>He abandoned his previous plans for the day and immediately started sprinting towards spawn.  Something strange was going on, and he was going to figure it out.</p><p>And, hopefully, figure out who this new arrival was.  Based off the name, he had a horrible idea of who it could possibly be.</p><p>He hoped his guess was wrong.  God, he hoped his guess was wrong.</p><p>(he didn't know what he'd do if he was right.)</p><p>____________________________________</p><p>Let it be said that Ranboo is not an idiot.  In fact, he's quite smart.  Although his memory is quite poor, he has a good brain for math, and hes incredibly well-read when it comes to fighting techniques and survival skills.</p><p>This is to say that just because Ranboo forgot about the snapping sound he heard when he woke up, it doesn't mean he's an idiot.  He had other things to attend to, more pressing matters to worry about.  The snapping could have been anything, and the chat was crucial to his survival.</p><p>That is not to say the cracking was unimportant.  Infact, it was incredibly important, it's just that Ranboo had no resources to spend worrying about it.</p><p>As Ranboo reeled from his failed interaction in the chat, something snapped in the forest behind him.  The hybrid quickly whipped around, red and green eyes wide and scanning the underbrush.</p><p>Something- something was moving in the underbrush.  It darted around between bushes, furred body easily slipping in-between the branches and clumps of long grass.  He could make out soft beige fur on its back, and it's paws were tinged a darker brown colour.  It had a long thin tail, bright blue eyes, and it's dark ears flicked as it darted around.</p><p>The cat paused in an open patch of grass, studying him closely.  He shifted uncomfortably as its eyes ran over him, something a bit too…. human, behind its eyes for his comfort.  His hand gently raised up, careful as to not spook the animal, and he offered the cat a small wave.</p><p>It tilted its head at him, and ducked back into the underbrush.</p><p>_____________???_______________</p><p>Antfrost whispers to you: kid looks alright.  little spooked.  kinda weird.  defo hybrid, enderman and smth w/ white skin</p><p>You whisper to Antfrost: thank you.  omw.</p><p>Antfrost whispers to you: kkkk, stay safe man &lt;3</p><p>You whispered to Antfrost: you too, ant.  love you man</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>____________________________________</p><p>Ranboo stared after the cat for a few minutes, his eyebrows furrowed.  Well…. That was strange.  Maybe the cat was owned by someone around here, or maybe it was a local stray.</p><p>He shook himself, flicking his hands repeatedly as he stood there.  He didn't know why, but his encounter with the cat really shook him up.  Something about it just felt off, and the hair on the back of his neck and on his tails was still standing straight up. </p><p>Everything about this day was so strange already, he wasn't sure how much more weirdness he could handle today without bursting.  He started walking again, finally making it to the base of one of the walls that boxed in the spawn.  There, off to his left was a gap in the wall, just big enough for a person his size to squeeze through.</p><p>Now on the other side, Ranboo took in the rest of the forest.  It was incredibly empty, the only identification of life the bright beacon peeking out over the treetops.  Other than that, it was a regular, untouched forest. </p><p>Well, they supposed they'd just have to follow the beacon to civilization.  They readjusted the straps on their bag, and set off.</p><p>They got all of five feet before a figure dropped out of the trees and landed before them.</p><p>They got all of five feet before someone in a green hoodie stood from their crouch and faced them.</p><p>They got all of five feet before a porcelain mask painted with a black smiley face met their eyes.</p><p>And they got all of five feet before the world was turned on its head.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>* tosses you straight into the plot in a gay little way that pisses you off *</p><p>we've now met and heard about some key players in our story!  next chapter will be much more dialogue based, and we'll learn who our mystery pov person is :)!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. oh I never thought I'd see the day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ranboo finally speaks with the admin of the Dream SMP, and sets off on their quest to explore the server.</p>
<p>Dream has a chat.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>general warning for ranboo panicking and being the anxious motherfucker he is </p>
<p>hope you enjoy the chapter, its an interesting one :)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One, two, three, four</p>
<p>Four beats in.  Deep as you can, if you start struggling, restart.</p>
<p>One, two, three, four.</p>
<p>Hold for four beats.  Focus on something else while you do it, it'll make the seconds go by faster.</p>
<p>One, two, three, four.</p>
<p>Out for four beats.  Try to keep it steady, and get out as much as you can.</p>
<p>Repeat until either you've calmed down, or it doesn't work anymore.</p>
<p>Repeat.</p>
<p>Repeat</p>
<p>repeat</p>
<p>repeat</p>
<p>̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶p̶e̶a̶t̶-̶</p>
<p>Ranboos breath caught in his throat, a strangled noise escaping from his mouth as he took in the person who landed before him.</p>
<p>The man(? he thinks?  The guy presents pretty masculine- though, he's one to talk, wearing suits and presenting masculinely despite not being a man) had pale skin, broad shoulders, and short, dirty blonde hair.  His hair was short on the sides, a bit longer and spiky on top, and creeped down to almost his shoulders at the back.  Most of his face was covered by a white porcelain mask, a delicate black smiley face painted on the front.  The mask didn't fully cover his face, his jaw and mouth were still visible- and so was the scar running over the left side of his mouth.</p>
<p>He was wearing a lime green hoodie, faded with time, stitched up in a couple places with mismatched thread.  A couple straps crossed over his chest and waist, most likely keeping the gleaming axe behind him attached to his back.  Speaking of weapons, Ranboo could count…. at least five on this guy.  Strapped to his back was a ginormous, shimmering netherite axe, two daggers were strapped to his thighs, a thin sword sat on one of his hips, and a crossbow sat on the other.  He looked ready to throw down at any moment, which wasn't exactly a comforting thought.</p>
<p>The man (again, he needed to stop assuming) before him cleared his throat, and crossed his arms over his chest.  There was something… odd, about his stance.  Yes, it was aggressive, but it also seemed… uncomfortable, maybe?  Like, like something about this situation was bothering him, and he was trying his best to hide it.  His shoulders were tensed and his mouth was pulled into a frown, and he kept shifting back and forth between his feet.  It was the stance of someone who was either uncomfortable, or had a secret to hide.  Or, maybe it was all just Ranboo trying to rationalize an anxiety inducing situation.  Who's to say, really.</p>
<p>They were suddenly snapped out of their train of thought as the person started speaking.  His voice was low and mellow, and more of a monotone, like theirs.</p>
<p>'So.  Here's the deal.  I'm going to give you two- no, ten seconds, to tell me who the fuck you are, and how you got here.  Go.'</p>
<p>A burst of anxiety shot through Ranboos stomach, and they immediately lost the ability to string together complete sentences.  They stuttered around a few words, the syllables suddenly feeling very foreign on their tongue.  The guy raised an eyebrow (sheesh, how did he manage to convey that through a mask?), looking unimpressed as they continued to stutter.</p>
<p>'I- uh- uh- uhhhh shoot, oh god, oh this is- oh this is more than ten- oh god, this is way more than ten seconds, i'm so sorry, oh yikes, I'm so sorry, you're gonna kill me- I- I'm so sorry- please don't ban me again-'</p>
<p>He raised a hand, cutting them off in the middle of their ramble, and stared them down as he spoke.</p>
<p>'Listen.  Calm yourself down, take a breath.  Jeeze, kid, you can't even get a full sentence out.  Calm down, and retry.'</p>
<p>Something about the guy's words were… oddly soothing.  A wave of calm washed over xym, and xe swallowed the thickness that was building in xyr throat.  Xe had a very strange feeling that xe'd heard these words before, and another strange feeling that it was this voice that had said them.  Xe shook xyr head- xe was probably imagining things, xe'd never met this person before in xyr life.</p>
<p>'I- okay…. Uh….. my- uh, my names- my names Ranboo.  Ranboo Beloved, or, I guess you didn't really need to know my last name, huh?  Uh-'</p>
<p>The guy cut xym off again with a wave of his hand, looking slightly more uncomfortable at the mention of xyr name.  Xe frowned at that.  What about xyr name made him so uncomfortable? Xe thought it was a perfectly fine name, if a bit odd, but xe wasn't one to question xyr parents' choices in names.</p>
<p>'So, Ranboo, what are you doing here?  Because, well, last time I checked, I didn't send you an invite.'</p>
<p>'Uhm….. okay, i'll tell you, but.. please don't ban me, okay?  I can leave, if you want, just… please, please don't ban me…'  They rubbed their neck as they talked, letting a little end warble seep into their words.</p>
<p>He nodded sharply, and so they continued on-  'So, I…. might have hacked in.  But!'  They exclaimed, seeing his hands twitch towards his sword, 'I can- I can explain why I did it!'</p>
<p>'Then explain.'  He snapped, his words frigid.</p>
<p>'I- okay, I- I came from Hypixel, right?  And that place- that place is literally hell man, I thought it would be okay, but I was going absolutely insane there.  Like, yeah, I was doing really, really good, but it was terrifying and stressful, you know?</p>
<p>'And, and I heard about this really cool server, and I thought, you know?  You know, I think that that might be a good place to go, good place to settle down for a bit before moving on to the next server, yaknow?  So….. I, uh, I….. I hacked.  I hacked in.  Uh, tadda?'  They punctuated the sentence with some half-hearted jazz hands, letting their hands fall down to their sides after a few awkward moments of silence.</p>
<p>A tense silence hung in the air after Ranboos words, and they shifted uncomfortably.  The guy (shit, they didn't even ask his name!) had this constipated look about him.  His face was all scrunched up, his shoulders were at his ears, and kept opening and closing his mouth like he was going to say something.  His fingers were tapping rhythmically against his arms, and Ranboo felt themself getting lost in the rhythm.</p>
<p>After an achingly long silence, the tension was broken by a furious buzzing coming from the man's pocket.  He sighed heavily, and loosened his posture as he grabbed his comms.  They watched as he quickly read the message and sighed, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.  He suddenly looked back up, catching their gaze for the briefest moment.</p>
<p>Although brief, the eye contact sent a ripple of shock and terror down his spine.  He immediately straightened his posture, his pupils shrinking slightly as he gazed into the painted eyes of the others' mask.  He could hear static starting to build in his ears, and he resisted the urge to snap his jaw open and scream his discomfort into the world.</p>
<p>But, just as quick as it happened, the eye contact ended.  He breathed out a sigh of relief, and relaxed his posture as the guy broke eye contact with him.  The man swept him over with his eyes, checked over his shoulder, and then settled his eyes on his nose.</p>
<p>'Listen.  I have to go- don't ask where,' he snapped, seeing the curious glint in Ranboos eyes, 'Listen, kid.  You can stay here- in the SMP, I mean- just..  don't be too much trouble.  Follow the rules- i'm sure someone will tell you them, and don't be a nuisance.  I'm doing you a favor by letting you stay here, and don't forget that.'</p>
<p>Ranboo let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, and quickly nodded.  He- he could stay!  Even though he had hacked his way in, and said some… questionable things in chat, he wasn't getting banned! In fact, the admin himself was saying that he could stay! </p>
<p>Man, everything was really coming up Ranboo for once.</p>
<p>The man cleared his throat, causing Ranboo to realise he hadn't actually responded yet.  He startled, and threw his hands up in surrender.</p>
<p>'No, no, yeah, no- you, uh, you don't need to worry about me!  I'll be, uh, i'll be good!  Don't worry, you won't regret this!'</p>
<p>The man nodded, and slipped an ender pearl from his bag into his hand.  Ranboo shuddered upon seeing the ball, his own pearl vibrating uncomfortably in his chest.  He could practically see the purple blood dripping from the ball, stained and wet from where it had been ripped from the chest of one of his kin- he shook his head.  It was… it was whatever.  Well, it <em>wasn't</em> just <em>whatever</em>, but for now he could pretend it was.  He didn't think it would be too wise to have a breakdown in front of such a powerful figure.</p>
<p>'Oh.  My name is Dream, by the way.  He/him.'</p>
<p>With that, Dream(!!! A name!  And pronouns!) tossed the ender pearl into the canopy, and crouched in preparation for the teleport.  As he processed Dream's words, a realization struck him.</p>
<p>'OH! I forgot to say- I use he/him, they/them, and xe/xyr pronouns!'  He rushed out, tripping upon some of the words in his haste.</p>
<p>Dream nodded, and gave him a two fingered salute.  </p>
<p>And, with that, he was gone in a puff of purple particles.  They heard a small crash in the trees deeper in the forest, no doubt from where he'd landed.</p>
<p>Ranboo sighed, and looked up at the sky.  The sun was still high in its arc, and that bright beacon from before was still twinkling cheerfully against the sky.  Now, though, it wasn't pure white.  It was alternating colours, red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then purple- the whole rainbow was on display, the colours blending into each other beautifully as they switched.</p>
<p>They huffed, and readjusted their grip on their bag.  Well, now that they didn't have the distraction of the admin, they could finally make their way to the beacon.  They set off, footsteps a little unsteady on the unfamiliar terrain.  They weren't exactly used to this loamy, bouncy sort of ground, but they could already feel themself becoming more familiar with it with each passing step.  They could adapt, they were pretty good at getting used to new situations quickly, after all.</p>
<p>The trek wasn't as hard as they were expecting it to be.  After they cleared a small hill it was basically flat all the way to their destination, and they could even see lamps and other lights hanging off some of the trees.  It was the first sign of true civilization that Ranboo had seen so far, unless you counted the shotty walls surrounding spawn to be 'civilization'.  They certainly didn't.</p>
<p>The woods finally broke after another ten minutes of walking, and they were left to gape at the huge structure towering at the edge of the treeline.</p>
<p>Oh.  <em>This</em> was going to be interesting.</p>
<p>——————</p>
<p>'So it's true?'</p>
<p>'Yeah.  Yeah, it's true.'</p>
<p>'I just- I just don't believe it, you know?  It's been so long since we've seen him…'</p>
<p>'I saw him with my own eyes, Sap.  He's- fuck, he's just like I remember him, but so <em>different</em> at the same time.  He's taller than me, 6'6 at least, and his tails are so much longer, and he's got these weird scars under his eyes-'</p>
<p>'It's okay, Dream, it's okay-'</p>
<p>'-And, and, fuck, Sapnap, he told me he uses multiple pronouns, which means he had to figure himself out without help- without <em>me</em>-'</p>
<p>'Breathe, Dream, breathe-'</p>
<p>'I thought- I thought it was a good idea t-to leave him with-'</p>
<p>'I know.  It's okay, take a moment to breathe dude-'</p>
<p>'But he's so different, Sap!  He's so different!  He's so much more jumpy, and spacey and anxious, <em>god</em>, what did I do?  He doesn't- he doesn't even-'</p>
<p>'You don't have to say it, I know-'</p>
<p>'<em>HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER ME!</em>'</p>
<p>'........'</p>
<p>'.........'</p>
<p>'..... Come here.'</p>
<p>'Okay.  Okay.'</p>
<p>'.......'</p>
<p>'.........'</p>
<p>'......'</p>
<p>'...... how do you forget your own brother?'</p>
<p>'I don't know, I…... I don't know.'</p>
<p>'How did I let him forget his own brother?'</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>omg hi kings queens and royals how's it going &lt;3</p>
<p>this chapter got way too long so I had to chop some of it off and add it to the next chapter whoooops</p>
<p>speaking of, the next chapter will include ranboo interacting with some members of the smp and a lot of confusion from nearly everyone sjfjkcjfk</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. the moon is crumbling but that's okay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ranboo meets a few members of the SMP.  Chaos ensues, because why wouldn't it?</p><p>Friendships are made.  The world moves on. A few character tags become relevant.</p><p>Tomorrow is a new day.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HEY HI HI HI!!!!!!!!!  How's it going yall?  This is a bit of a longer chapter to make up for the big gap between this chapter and last chapter &lt;3</p><p>no tws this time folks!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'Holy shit!' Ranboo, eloquent as always, exclaimed. </p><p>His eyes raked over the ginormous, towering building in front of him, his mouth falling open in shock.</p><p>The monstrous figure was built of sturdy stone bricks, laid tight-packed together in neat, orderly rows.  There were some smooth stone accents, as well, and some of the windows had oak wood supports in them.  The parapets and walkway two stories up had lanterns lighting them, and they too had oak supports along them.  The building stretched off into the forest, as well as the clearing around it, and he could only just barely make out the edges of it.</p><p>He was leaving out one, okay maybe <em>two</em>, details about the place though- there were…. just so, so many rainbows.</p><p>The windows were stained with the horizontal stripes of the rainbow, the glass glittering beautifully in the midday sun.  The beacon he'd been following was also alternating between the colours of the rainbow, and, if he squinted, he could make out a very bright, very colourful flag waving in the distance.  He could even see a rainbow mural through one of the windows.</p><p>All in all, Ranboos opinion of this place was a solid <em>hell yeah.</em></p><p>They gingerly started walking closer to the castle, treading lightly through the large open gate.  Now inside of the walls, the palace looked even more impressive.  The courtyard that surrounded the castle proper was beautifully manicured, paved with oak wood paths and lined with flowers in neat rows.  Gladiolus', daisies, carnations, and iris' made up the bulk of the beds, and they took a moment to stop and admire the blooms.  Off to their left they could hear the gurgle of a fountain, as well as something splashing gently.  They reasoned that there was probably a pond over there, and their suspicions were confirmed when they heard a small <em>quack</em> from their left.</p><p>The path under their feet diverged, eventually, about ten meters from what seemed to be the backdoor of the castle.  To the left, it carried to what Ranboo assumed was the pond, the path being somewhat swallowed behind some thick bushes.  In front of them it trailed to the door, stone statues standing guard on either side of the sturdy wood.  To the right, it snaked away into a more open part of the courtyard.  There were a few trees and flower beds scattered about, but other than that it was just grass.  There was a bench set up underneath one of the branching willow trees, and a bit to the left of it w-</p><p>'-ow!  I know!  That's what I said!'</p><p>'Niki, I think you know exactly what I'm going to say about this.'</p><p>A fond laugh.  'Yes, yes.  'If he doesn't treat you right by now, you're gone!''</p><p>'You're gone!'</p><p>'I'm gone!'</p><p>'Now go chop his DICK OFF-'</p><p>The two figures dissolved into laughter, the sound ringing out across the otherwise empty courtyard.  Well, empty except for xym, but that didn't really matter right now.</p><p>They were sitting on a picnic blanket, a small basket sitting between them.  It was slightly open, a bit of paper sticking out of the gap.  It seemed like they had just finished whatever they were eating, and stored the trash back in the basket.  Now, they were casually lounging, laughing about something that Ranboo had no context for.</p><p>The first figure was tall and lanky, their long legs curled up to take up the least amount of space.  They had pale skin, soft brown hair, and pointed ears.  Their eyes were covered by a dark pair of sunglasses, and a couple piercings jangled on their ears when they turned their head.  They were dressed in a flowy, drapey white blouse, an olive green skirt, and a pair of dark boots.  A gold crown lay on top of a folded up red cloak to their left, the garments rainbow jewels catching the sun beautifully.</p><p>The second figure was shorter, their elbows on their knees as they leaned forward.  They had pale skin, light brown eyes, and light pink hair.  They sported a multi-coloured sweater, black pants, and blue shoes.  A heavy looking brown jacket was slung across their shoulders.  It looked a little worse for wear, the sleeves and bottom of it looked singed- or perhaps, like someone had blown them off.  Their ears were also pointed, and held similar, yet more simple, earrings to the first person.</p><p>The two laughed a few more times before it seemed the humor was out of their systems.  The first figure stretched their arms up, a loud crack coming from their back that caused them both to dissolve into laughs again.</p><p>'Jeeze, Eret, how old are you?'</p><p>'Oh, buzz off, Nick.  Don't think I haven't heard your knuckles crack just as loud before.'</p><p>The second figure (Niki? Nick?  Xe was quite confused) laughed, and lightly hit the first (Eret?)</p><p>'Touche, touche.  Doesn't mean you don't still have old man bones!'</p><p>At that, the two started laughing again, and Ranboo couldn't stop the small laugh that bubbled out of xyr throat.</p><p>At xyr laugh, the two instantly froze up, and swung their heads in xyr direction.  Xe immediately knew xe fucked up, and took a cautious step back.</p><p>Eret(?) stood up first, brushing their skirt off quickly and slinging their crown on their head and their cloak around their shoulders.  Their posture was pinched, and rigid, though it held an air of formality.  Niki(Nick?  Prime, names were hard) stood up a few seconds after, their hand drifting to their side.  Xe wasn't sure why, for a moment, and then xe spotted a gleaming sword hanging off their belt.</p><p>Ah.  This wasn't good.</p><p>Eret cleared their throat, their arms folded tightly behind their back.  They radiated confidence as they stared xym down, a slight furrow in their brow as they did.</p><p>'Excuse me.  Could I ask who you are, and what your business is at the castle?'  Their voice was deep, and rang clearly out through the courtyard.</p><p>Ranboo swallowed thickly, a heavy, itching sensation building in the back of xyr mind.  Xe could feel both gazes upon xym like burning coals pressed to xyr skin, and xe wasn't sure how much more xe could take.  At least they weren't making direct eye contact with xym, and for that xe was grateful.</p><p>'I- uh……..'  The words died in his throat, earning a suspicious glance from Eret.  Niki huffed, and crossed their arms from behind them.</p><p>'Yes?'  Niki said.</p><p>'Uhm…. Did you- did you see the uh, the messages in chat earlier?'  He stuttered out.</p><p>For a moment, the two swapped confused glances, before recognition bloomed in Niki's eyes.  They quickly fumbled for their comms, and scanned the screen before looking back up.</p><p>'You're… you're Ranboo?'</p><p>He nodded, a relieved sigh leaving his mouth as he saw both Eret and Niki relax slightly.  Erets posture sank a little, and they offered him a small smile.</p><p>'Well, Ranboo, welcome to the Dream SMP!  I'm Eret, any pronouns are fine.  I'm the ruler of these lands- these lands being the Greater SMP.'  They added, upon seeing his confused expression.</p><p>Niki stepped up to their side, a smile on their face as well.  'I'm Niki, or Nihachu, whatever, it's nice to meet you!  Oh, she/her, by the way.'</p><p>Ranboo ducked his head politely to the two, his lips forming a smile of his own.  'Uh, its- it's nice to meet the both of you!  I'm Ranboo, er, well, you already knew that, huh?  He/they/xe, please.'</p><p>Eret clapped their hands together, a large grin on their face.  'Wonderful!  It's always good to see a fresh face around here!  Especially a face as interesting as yours!'</p><p>Ranboo felt a hot blush spread across his face, and he rubbed the back of his neck.  Niki seemed to notice his movements, and lightly slapped the back of Erets neck.</p><p>'Eret!  Don't embarrass them, they just got here and they're probably quite overwhelmed.  Speaking of-' she turned towards him, having to crane her neck up somewhat to look at his face.  Her gaze stayed away from his eyes, and instead landed on his nose- 'you probably need a tour, huh?'</p><p>'Yeah!  Uh, yeah, that would..  that would be nice!'  He chirped, already feeling himself getting more and more comfortable around the two.  They radiated a kind energy, an energy that he was certainly picking up on.</p><p>'Perfect, me and Eret would be glad to give you one!  Right, Eret?'  She elbowed the taller, who gave a hearty laugh and a nod.</p><p>'Of course, I'd be happy to!  Are you up for one right now?  If you're too tired, or overwhelmed right now, that's fine.  We can do the tour tomorrow, and I can offer you a room in the castle for tonight.  I was going to offer one anyways, until you find somewhere to settle in.'  They waved their hands as they talked, gesturing animatedly towards the hulking castle behind him as it was mentioned.</p><p>Truthfully, Ranboo was fucking <em>exhausted</em>.  He'd been running on adrenaline and five hours of sleep, and one of those was running out very quickly.  Server-hopping took a lot of energy, and with both the encounter with Dream, and now meeting Niki and Eret, he was running pretty low on energy overall.  Curling up on a big bed under a mountain of blankets seemed like heaven to him at the moment, and he almost took Eret up on their offer for a raincheck.</p><p>But, there was a small, nagging voice in the back of their head that prevented them from easily saying yes.  It brought up the fact that they barely knew Eret and Niki, that the two could kill them in the night and no one would know.  At least if they went on the tour and possibly encountered someone then someone else would know where they were staying.  If a death message popped up in chat they'd know where Ranboo was, which gave them a bit of hope.</p><p>After thinking it over, they shook their head to clear their thoughts, and looked back to Eret.</p><p>'Today would be nice, I'd like to get a lay of the land sooner rather than later.'  Eret seemed to like that response, and clapped them on the back.  They held back a flinch at the contact, their body only jostling slightly.</p><p>'Wonderful!  Alright, let me go grab my tools, and when I return we can start on our tour!'  With that they took off, quickly disappearing into the castle and leaving Ranboo and Niki alone.  She shifted slightly in place, her eyes scanning them up and down.</p><p>'You're very interesting, aren't you?'  Her voice was calculated, and a little distant.  It was a bit jarring, considering the warm, friendly tone she spoke in before.  They opened their mouth to respond, but she cut them off.</p><p>'What are your intentions here?'</p><p>Ranboo blinked, and stared at her dumbly.  They weren't quite sure what she meant by that.  Was she asking if they had an ulterior motive?  And, if she was, an ulterior motive for what?  For asking for a tour?  For showing up at the castle, for showing up to the server in general?  Prime, talking to people was hard.  Why couldn't they just say what they wanted in words they could understand?  They internally cursed their shoddy social skills.</p><p>'I'm not- I'm not.. sure what you mean by that.'  They mumbled, ducking their head.  Her eyes narrowed, one of her hands drifting closer to the hilt of her sword.</p><p>'I mean, what do you want?  From me, from Eret, whatever.  What do you want, and don't lie.'  She stated, her words frigid.</p><p>'...... Would you believe me if I said nothing?' </p><p>Ah.  Those… those seemed to not be the right words.  Niki frowned, the corner of her lip pulling up into the beginning of a sneer.  They quickly threw their hands up in surrender, their heartbeat loud in their ears.</p><p>'I- I mean it!  I don't- I don't want anything! I-I mean, other than the um, the tour that Eret offered, uh, and for you to like, not kill me.  But other than that, I really don't want anything.  I just- I just want to go on the tour, and then maybe curl up under a thousand blankets in the room I was offered in the castle, and then figure out where I'm staying from there.  Okay?  That's all I want, honest.'</p><p>Ranboo took a deep breath as they finished their rant, their hands shaking at their sides.  It wasn't just their hands that were shaking, though, they were developing a bit of a full-body tremor.  Nikis frown deepened, but it didn't seem malicious as it had before.  It looked more concerned now, and she let her hands fall to her sides.</p><p>'Alright.'  Ranboo snapped their head up at her words, finding her staring gently at them.</p><p>'Alright?'  They asked.</p><p>'Alright.  I believe you.  You seem genuine.  Maybe that's just because you look like you're having a panic attack, but either way, I believe you.  As long as you don't try and pull anything funny, we're good.'</p><p>Ranboo let out a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding, and offered her a shaky smile.  She returned the gesture, and set a hand gently on their shoulder.</p><p>'Sorry that I made you panic there.  Didn't mean to- promise!  I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to hurt me or Eret!'  She said, a warmth to her voice that was previously missing.</p><p>'No, yeah, no, I get that!  No worries!'  They reassured, the tremble in their hands lessening.</p><p>It was at that moment they picked up on the sound of footsteps headed in their direction.  They whipped around to be greeted with the sight of Eret, a huge smile on his face as he walked towards the two.  Ranboo noticed a few differences about him, mainly in his outfit.</p><p>He was still wearing the crown, blouse, boots, and skirt from before, but layered over top of it was armour.  The purple sheen it held meant it must be netherite, and it shimmered with enchantments as well.  He was wearing a chestplate, bracers, gauntlets, shin guards, and pauldrons.  Now that they were looking, they noticed that he had also swapped his gold crown out for a netherite one, plus his glasses seemed to be sturdier than before.  He looked awfully prepared for a walk around the SMP, a thought that gave Ranboo no comfort.</p><p>Eret clapped his hands together, and then threw his arms around Niki and Ranboos shoulders.  The embrace was a bit awkward, considering the height difference between the three, but Eret didn't seem to mind. They didn't, either, considering this was the most comforting touch they'd experienced in a while.</p><p>Wow.  That was a sad thought.  Ranboo pushed it away, unwilling to let it ruin the good mood the others had set up.</p><p>'Well, my friends, who's ready for a tour?'</p><p>------------</p><p>Ranboo was not, in fact, ready for the tour. They absolutely should have taken the raincheck, and curled up all nice and warm inside of a safe room.</p><p>Instead, they're dragging their tired form through the lands of the Greater SMP, which are <em>so much bigger than they originally thought like holy <strong>fuck</strong></em>.  The area sprawled out much further than it originally appeared to, curving and weaving around hills, valleys, and bodies of water.  The buildings were in all different shapes and styles, and the sheer number of them sent Ranboos head spinning.  They noted that there were a lot of unfinished, or partially destroyed, buildings, as well.  The tour led them by countless frames, messes of scaffolding, partially and fully blown up buildings, and bundles of materials stacked up, ready to use in something or other.  </p><p>That is not to say the lands were ugly, or gross.  In fact, Ranboo hadn't seen anything quite as charming, quite as beautiful in a very long time.  The cluttered aesthetic of the server made it quite endearing, and the builds themselves were quite impressive.  Well, most of them were quite impressive.  They can't quite say they find the multiple dirt shacks they come across 'impressive.'</p><p>Ranboo zoned back in on Erets voice when they reached a more pristine looking area.  The buildings were neat and spread out, all in more of a neo-classical sort of style.  A purple beacon split the sky, coming from a large white building.  As they stepped inside the stone barrier surrounding the place, he spread his arms out wide.</p><p>'Now, this is one of the most important places in the entire SMP- The holy lands!'  He put extra emphasis on the last part, which made Niki giggle.</p><p>'You make it sound like some earth-shattering idea, Eret.  It's just blessed land.'  Her voice was teasing, but even so, it confused Ranboo some.  They'd never been on a server with 'blessed land', what could she possibly mean by that?</p><p>'Well, I mean, it is important!  Whatever, we have more important things to talk about- namely, showing Ranboo the Church of Twitch Prime!'</p><p>Ranboo perked up at that, a bit of pep back in their step as they followed Eret to the Church.  Niki took up the rear of the group.  They always liked seeing different servers Prime Churches, something about how different yet how recognizable they were fascinated them.  No matter how different the materials or the styles were, they all had the same bones, the same feel about them.</p><p>This Prime Church was no different.  As Ranboo entered it, they gaped in awe, and marveled at the structure.  It was made primarily of quartz and purple glass, outfitted with a soaring ceiling and intricately carved walls.  A sheet of clear blue water streamed from the ceiling, lapping gently against the small pond it fell into.  They had no idea where the water was coming from, or where it went from the pond, but they were too in awe to question it too much.  The altar was gorgeous too, laden with gifts and offerings.</p><p>Xe breathed out gently as xe entered the pew area, spinning around to take in the Church in its entirety.  Eret laughed lightly at xyr wonder, a wide smile on her face.</p><p>'Beautiful, isn't it?  I'd like to think we have one of the best Prime Churches in the entire universe.'  She said, trailing one hand along the altar.</p><p>'Yeah.'  Xe breathed out, still taking in the sights.  Niki gently elbowed xyr side, and cleared her throat.</p><p>'We should probably get going, we haven't even shown him L'Manburg yet, and its already almost 3-'</p><p>Whatever Niki was going to say was cut off suddenly, as a loud shriek echoed out from the entrance.  Ranboo jumped and whipped around, xyr eyes wide and xyr tails wrapped tightly around xyr ankles.</p><p>Xyr eyes fell upon a figure standing in the entrance of the Church, their mouth agape and their eyes wide.  A smaller figure stood behind them, bent over and laughing their ass off.</p><p>The taller figure had pale skin, choppy blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes.  Their pointed, slightly feathered ears were pressed flat against their head, and fangs peeked out from behind their lips.  A small pair of white wings curved from their back, the tips of the feathers a rusty red.  They wore a white and red shirt, beige shorts, ratty sneakers, and a green bandana.</p><p>The laughing one was a goat hybrid, the short horns and small tail making it quite obvious.  They had pale skin, shaggy brown hair, and grayish-blue eyes.  They wore a messy green button up, blue pants, and black runners.  A starburst scar painted half of their face, and trailed down behind their collar.</p><p>The taller one recovered from their temporary shock, and jabbed a finger in Ranboos direction.  Their face was growing slightly red, and their lips curled into a bit of a snarl as they screamed.</p><p>'WHO THE <em>FUCK</em> ARE YOU?'</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*blows a kiss to the sky* for the misfern enjoyers.... fundy will be coming soon kings get ready for a real 4/4 &lt;3</p><p>anyways can yall tell i like flower symbolism ajckcks</p><p>I wonder who those two mysterious figures at the end are :)?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. (oh I never thought I'd see the day)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ranboo learns, and plans, and finally figures things out.</p><p>And Ranboo forgets.</p><p>A meeting is planned.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>BARK BARK BARK WOOF WOOF WOOF BARK BARK BARK HIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!  happy 4/20 lmaooooo</p><p>ey man when I said this fic doesn't have a consistent schedule I meant it sjfjcjjskfk</p><p>tw for a brief mention of self-harm and internalized ableism!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'WHO THE <em>FUCK</em> ARE YOU?'</p><p>Ranboo flinched back at the screech, their ears pinned flat against their head.  The voice grated at their ears like nails on a chalkboard, and they held back the urge to gag as shivers raked up their spine.  Although they were quite disturbed, their companions seemed to pay the yell no mind.  Niki just sighed and crossed her arms, and Eret simply gave a chuckle and shook their head.  It seemed like this was a regular occurrence if they were this unfazed by it.</p><p>The kid (well, they're one to talk, aren't they?  The person looks to be around their age) suddenly started walking, taking long strides towards Ranboo.  They took a step back on instinct, anxiety forming a thick knot in the back of their throat.  Although the person's body language didn't convey aggression, they'd learnt not to associate that with safety.  They'd met too many people that put up a front of comradery, only to stab them in the back later.</p><p>Now, directly in front of xym, the kid wrinkled their nose, and stared at xym in the face.  Their blue eyes were even more piercing up close, and even though the back of xyr mind burned, xe couldn't find it in xym to look away. </p><p>'Now, now now now, look 'ere, bucko, who the fuck are you?'  They spat.  They had a British accent, and apparently quite a penchant for swearing.  </p><p>'I- uh, I'm, I'm Ranboo.'  Xe stammered, finally tearing xyr gaze away.</p><p>'Ran-bo?'  They said, distaste flooding their gaze.  Ranboo frowned and shook their head, a spike of frustration in their stomach.</p><p>'N-no, Ranboo.'</p><p>'Rayn-boo?'</p><p>'No, no.  Rahn-boo.'</p><p>'Rahn-boob?'</p><p>'I-,' xe breathed out an angry sigh, and scrubbed at xyr eyes, 'You know what? Sure.  That.  Whatever.'</p><p>They cheered out in excitement, pumping a fist in the air and fluffing out their wings triumphantly.  A small sigh came from behind them, and Ranboo watched as the shorter kid trotted over.  Their eyebrows were furrowed deeply, and as they got close to the two they swatted the taller kid lightly.</p><p>'Tommy, don't fucking razz him, man.  He just got here, lay off, will ya?'  They also had a British accent, and it was tinged with affection as they chastised 'Tommy' </p><p>Tommy sighed and rolled their eyes, turning to Ranboo with a defeated look.  'M sorry for calling you Ranboob, Ranboob.'</p><p>The shorter one looked satisfied with that, and gave a sharp nod.</p><p>'...... you do gotta admit though, Ranboob, it is pretty funny-'</p><p>'Tommy!' The shorter sighed, an elbow quickly jutting into Tommys side, 'You're a menace, boss man, an absolute menace!'</p><p>That sent the two into an affectionate bout of bickering, and Ranboo awkwardly watched as the two talked.  They were absorbed into their own little world, just the two of them, going back and forth razzing each other.  Based on the amount of sputtering Tommy was doing, xe assumed the shorter was winning.  Xyr assumptions were confirmed when Tommy, after a good five minutes of bickering, finally threw their hands up into the air in defeat.  The shorter gave them a toothy grin, and then turned back to Ranboo.</p><p>'Sorry about that, you know how it is!' (Xe definitely did not) 'Anyways, we should probably introduce ourselves, huh, boss man?'  They spoke affectionately towards xym, something that startled xym some.  They were speaking to xym like they'd spoken to Tommy, as if they were best friends.  Weird.  Ranboo would have to tuck that away into the 'things to overanalyze and get super anxious about later' folder.</p><p>'Yeah!  Uhm, yeah, that would, that'd be good!'  Xe said.</p><p>'Nice!  Well, I'm Tubbo, he/him.  The loud one-' Tommy gave an indignant 'hey!' at that, yet Tubbo took no notice of it as he continued- 'is Tommy, also he/him.  It's nice to meet you, man.'</p><p>'Yeah!  It's nice to meet you too!  Uhm, I use he/they/xe, by the way.'  </p><p>'Poggers, dude.  I see Niki and Eret have been showing you around, huh?'  Tubbo leaned over to peer around Ranboo, giving a small wave to xyr tour guides as he did.</p><p>'We certainly have.  How are you doing today, Tubbo?'  Niki asked, a fond smile on her face.</p><p>'Good, we're good!'  Tubbo chirped, reaching up and slinging an arm around Ranboos shoulder.  Xe had to slouch considerably to allow the action, as the boy barely reached xyr shoulder.  'Have you showed him L'Manburg yet?'</p><p>'Ah,' Niki startled, shooting a concerned look at Eret, 'not… not yet, we were just about to head there, though.'</p><p>'Both of you?'  Tommy said, his voice laced with venom.  Eret shifted uncomfortably, and Niki subtly stepped in front of them.  The hair on Ranboos neck raised as the tension in the room grew. </p><p>There was obviously some context here that xe was missing, some crucial part of these peoples past that xe wasn't privy to.  Tommy was glaring daggers at Eret, and Niki was doing the same to him.  Though, something in Tommy's eyes made xym think that the glares weren't malicious.  Sure, his eyes held anger, but also a deep hurt.  Erets glare, too, wasn't fully angry.  Theirs held hurt, too, but also remorse.  Ranboo would've liked to analyze their gazes a bit more, but alas, xyr biology has different plans.  Xe felt sick to xyr stomach from staring so deeply into the others eyes, and xe was sure xe'd hurl if xe did it anymore.</p><p>Thankfully, after a few tense moments, Tubbo stepped forward between the two groups, his hands up in mock surrender.  'Everyone calm down.  Here, we can compromise, can't we?'</p><p>The tension broke some as he spoke, Tommy awkwardly shuffling in place and Niki relaxing her body language.  Ranboo slumped a little- xe hadn't even noticed that xe had tensed up so much.  Tubbo nodded at the group, seemingly satisfied, and continued.</p><p>'Alright, how about this-  Eret, Niki, I'm sure you two have done a wonderful job in showing Ranboo around, thank you for that.  Now, though, that you're approaching L'Manburg, me and Tommy will take over.  I'm sure you two are tired from all that walking.  We'll show Ranboo around, and I'm assuming he's staying at your castle tonight, so we'll drop him off there afterwards.  Sound good?'</p><p>'I…. Suppose, that could work.' Eret said, although reluctantly.  They quickly glanced at Ranboo, a deep furrow in their brow as they did so.  'Will you be alright with these two?'</p><p>Ranboo looked at Tubbo and Tommy in turn, squinting slightly.  Neither of the boys seemed particularly dangerous(well, both did sport a frankly impressive amount of scars, but that's besides the point), or malicious, so xe supposed it couldn't hurt.  Besides, it was kinda nice to be around people xyr own age.  Teenagers were few and far between in the circles of Hypixel that xe ran in.  Xe hadn't hung out with anyone xyr age in…. Well, too long to remember, at least.</p><p>Xe set xyr jaw in determination, and nodded to Eret.  'Yeah!  I'll- I'll be fine, don't worry about me.  I'm tougher than I look!  I'll uh- i'll see you back at your castle, yeah?'</p><p>'Yes, try not to keep xym too late you two, alright?  I'm sure xe will need plenty of rest tonight.'  Tubbo and Tommy nodded at Erets words, and they clapped their hands.  They started walking towards the door, patting Ranboo on the shoulder as they did.</p><p>'Stay safe, Ranboo.  If you need us, you have our comm numbers.'  Niki smiled at xym, and then she, too, was gone out the door.</p><p>As soon as the two left, Tubbo turned towards xym with a wild grin on his face.</p><p>'So, gentlemen, I believe it's time for us to visit my country!'</p><p>--------------</p><p><strong>Muffin boys!</strong> </p><p>
  <em>--3:00pm--</em>
</p><p>dee: we all need to chat.  when's everyone free?</p><p>bbh: I'm good whenever!  what's this about :0?</p><p>pandas: idk if dream wants to say what it is, but its important.</p><p>kitty: o shit is this about what u had me do earlier :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:</p><p>dee: it is.</p><p>dee: I won't say much, but its about someone we haven't seen in a while.  </p><p>bbh: wait.</p><p>bbh: oh I think I know what this might be about</p><p>bbh: yeah, ill be there</p><p>dee: thank you, bad.  ant?</p><p>kitty: course man, wouldn't miss it for the world.</p><p>kitty: @georgenotfound</p><p>pandas: @georgenotfound @georgenotfound @georgenotfound @georgenotfound</p><p>sleeping beauty: fuck do u guys eant </p><p>kitty: r u not capable of reading the chat back king?</p><p>sleeping beauty: are you not capable of typing out 'are you?'</p><p>sleeping beauty: and to answer the question, i can come whenever.  just let me wake up a little more, and I'll be good</p><p>dee: thank you guys.  bads in 20?</p><p>bbh: wait why my place D:</p><p>kitty: i mean, ur house is the biggest, plus u have hot chocolate</p><p>bbh: aren't you allergic to chocolate?</p><p>kitty: irrelevant</p><p>pandas: back on topic, everyone meet at bads place in 20 minutes.  see you guys there!</p><p>-----------</p><p>Ranboo discovered quite quickly that they really, really liked L'Manburg.</p><p>Something about it was so quaint, so welcoming.  The buildings were cozy, and pushed closely against each other.  They stood on winding platforms, sturdy, but just rickety enough that a strong gust of wind sent the whole structure creaking.  Despite being empty except for the three, the pavilion and market area were cozy, and full of life.  Stalls crowded the market area, banners of soft fabric flapping in the wind.  Posters were plastered all across an announcement board in the square, advertising all different types of events and items.  There seemed to be a wanted poster there, too, but there were too many posters covering it for them to make out who it was for.  A distant melody drifted on the wind, carried gently from someone's home. </p><p>The whole structure filled them with a sense of warmth, with a sense of community.  Based on how well taken care of the area was, they could tell that the people living here really cared about the country.  And each other, for that matter.  There was love bursting out of every corner they turned.</p><p>They even came across two new people on the tour, both who seemed quite nice, and were in the cabinet!  The first was Fundy, a skittish fox hybrid with a thick accent.  He tried to get Ranboo to give him their crown, but quickly gave up and scurried off.  The second was Quackity, a charismatic duck hybrid.  He shook their hand like they were old friends, but squeezed it as if they were business rivals.</p><p>So yeah.  Ranboo could see themself settling down in L'Manburg, if the offer was eve-</p><p>'So, what do you think of L'Manburg, big man?  Think it's somewhere you'd want to live?'</p><p>Well.  There went the question of if they'd get an invite.</p><p>Tubbo looked at them expectantly, a wide smile on his face.  Tommy, sitting off to his right, also looked expectant.  Though, he seemed to be trying to hide his expression, even though he wasn't doing a very good job at it.</p><p>The trio were stopped in the middle of L'Manburg, sitting on the steps leading up to one of the pavilions.  It was getting later in the day, the sky streaked with orange as the sun slowly crept towards the horizon.  Despite the setting sun cooling things off, they didn't feel cold.  The area was still warm, which shocked them some.</p><p>Truth be told, there wasn't any reason for them to decline the offer.  They already had basically set their mind to it, and didn't intend to change it.  There was already an empty house ready for them, next to someone Tommy called 'Philza'.  Apparently this 'Philza' character wasn't in town at the moment, otherwise he would've loved to meet Ranboo.  Besides the house, their neighbors would be lovely, and so would the scenery.  Maybe they were being a bit of a fool, for accepting an offer with so many benefits and so little cons, but they couldn't care less.</p><p>'Yeah.  Yeah, I think I'd like to live here.'</p><p>Tubbo flashed them another one of his dazzling smiles, and Ranboo couldn't keep one of their own down.</p><p> </p><p>And then, they woke up.</p><p>Ranboo suddenly sat up in bed, his breath stuttering as he tried to figure out where the hell he was.  The bed he laid in was soft, and plush, and plenty long for his gangly limbs.  The room was large as well, decorated sparsely but tastefully.  A large window, decorated with rainbow drapes, looked out onto a green courtyard.  It seemed as though the sun was still rising, soft pink light filling the bedroom and tinting everything a light rose.</p><p>Sat on his bedside table was his crown and his comms, both of which he quickly snatched up.  He put his crown on, and checked his comms.</p><p>6:45 am, the day after he joined the SMP.  A few new names- tubbee, BIG MAN, fox boy, nikkeeeeee, and king shit- sat in his contacts list, and there was a new page in his notes app.  He quickly opened it up, and read the contents.</p><p>
  <em>Friday xx, xxxx:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-got into the Dream SMP</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-met admin, dream</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-he seems chill, if a bit scary (feels familiar.  maybe explore this later?)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-met Niki and Eret (they both like you!)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-currently staying in Erets castle</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-they said they'd get you a journal so you can write out these entries physically.  thank them for it when you get it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-met tommy and tubbo</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-tommy is a little mean, but he likes you.  so does tubbo</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-met fundy and quackity</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-offered a house in L'Manburg</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-house next to phils (who is phil????  why does he sound familiar???)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-walked around with tubbo+tommy for a while.  they showed you the bench, and then you got pastries from nikis bakery</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-they dropped you off at erets.  went straight to bed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-breakfast is at 8, there's extra clothes you can take in the closet, you're free to wander the castle</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-tubbo is coming around at 12, he's going to show you your new house and help you get settled in</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-welcome to the smp, king.</em>
</p><p>Ranboo tossed his comm across his bed, his hands coming up to viciously scrub at his face.  Anger and frustration bubbled up under his skin, and it took all of his willpower to not scratch open the scars under his eyes, or worse.  Heat was building underneath his skin and in the back of his throat- fuck, he hadn't felt this genuinely angry in so long.</p><p>Of course- of fucking <em>course</em> his stupid mind just <em>had</em> to blip out such an important day.  <em>Of course</em>, it just <em>had</em> to block out such important information, such important conversations.  What if someone asked him about something he said the night before, or mentioned something they told him, and he had no idea what they were talking about?  What if they entrusted him with important information, and he just forgot it?  Memories slipping between fingers like dandelion seeds in the wind, never to be seen again?</p><p>Why couldn't he just be normal?</p><p>------------</p><p>8am came around much too quickly for Ranboos liking.  They spent the time in-between waking up and now just sitting on their bed, fuming silently to themself.  Eventually, they managed to cool off enough to stand up, and immediately made their way to the closet in their room.  </p><p>An assortment of fancy, beautiful garments greeted them, all pressed nicely and hanging up.  They reluctantly shimmied off their suit, wrinkling their nose a bit as they noticed some new dirt stains on the pants.  Damn, they'd have to rely on Erets handouts until they could properly clean it- no way they were going to go out with a dirty suit.  Yes, they were an ex-Hypixel fighter known for their brutal weapon choices, but that by no means meant that they didn't have standards.  Their mother didn't raise a slob- or, they assume she's the one who raised them like this.  They couldn't exactly remember her, after all.</p><p>They chose a pretty similar outfit from the closet, breathing a sigh of relief upon finding out they all more-or-less fit them.  They donned a flowy white blouse, a navy blue waistcoat, a red tie, black slacks, and their black dress shoes.  They would've much preferred to also have a suit jacket on top of the ensemble, but it seemed as though Eret had a real 'cottagecore-royalty' kinda aesthetic going on.  A modern suit jacket didn't really fit those vibes, so they resolved themself to not wearing one for the time being.</p><p>A few minutes of wrangling their messy head and tail hair later, they walked down to the dining hall for breakfast.  As they walked into the room, it seemed, like them, that Eret had already been awake for a while.  She had a certain pep in her step as she whirled around the accompanying kitchen that, frankly, newly-awakened people just don't have.  She was dressed in a similar outfit to the day before, but with pants instead of a skirt, and without the cape.  As they sat down at one of the chairs surrounding the dining table, she noticed their presence, and turned to them.</p><p>'Goodmorning!  I hope you slept well- and, I see that the clothes I set up for you fit!  Good, good, you can keep them, if you want.  I don't wear them, so at least now they'll get some use.'  She chirped, sliding an omelet onto a plate, and starting to prepare another one.</p><p>'Oh.  I mean, if it's not too much trouble, they are very nice….. why- why do you own clothes that you can't even wear?'  They asked tentatively, picking at the tablecloth idly.</p><p>'Oh.'  Eret paused, a conflicted look flashing across her face.  Ranboo opened their mouth to apologize, but she spoke before they could, 'They…. They belonged to somebody that I used to know.  Somebody I used to be great friends with.  They aren't- they aren't really around anymore, and I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of their clothes.'</p><p>Erets gaze fell to the floor as she finished speaking.  Ranboo couldn't help but feel a little guilty for spoiling the mood- they were the one that asked the question that made her upset, after all.  Before they could overthink it much, though, she shook her head, and turned back to the stove.</p><p>'Don't mind me, Ranboo, I'm alright.' She reassured, sliding the second omelet onto another plate.  She picked up the two plates and set them at the table, one infront of Ranboo, and the other infront of the chair next to them.</p><p>'You sure?'  They asked, as she whirled back into the kitchen again.  A few moments later she came back out, a tray with cups and drinks in one hand, and a loaf of bread and a knife in the other.  She set the items on the table, and poured herself a cup of tea before sitting down.</p><p>'Yes, I'm quite sure.  Thank you for your concern, though, that's very kind of you.'</p><p>The two sat in silence for a few minutes, quietly eating their breakfast in peace.  Despite how simple the food was, it was probably the best meal Ranboo had eaten in quite a while.  The omelet was seasoned perfectly, the bread was soft and still warm, and the tea warmed them from the inside as they drank.  Maybe that said something about how godawful the food at Hypixel was, if such a simple meal nearly sent them into tears from the flavour.</p><p>Eret finally broke the silence by clearing her throat, Ranboo quickly looking over to her as she did.</p><p>'Do you have any plans for today?'</p><p>'Yeah, uhm, Tubbo is coming over at…… uh…..'  Ranboo trailed off, wracking their brain for the answer.  They frowned, and took out their comms to check their notes.  'Ah-  He's coming over at 12!  He's gonna show me where I'll be staying!'</p><p>She frowned slightly, at that.  'Ah.  You've decided then, to live in L'Manburg?'</p><p>They nodded.  'Yeah, from what i saw yesterday, it'll be a good place for me to stay.  Thank you, by the way, for letting me stay here, and for lending me some clothes.'</p><p>'Oh, no, don't worry about it.  It was the least I could do to welcome you to the server.'  She waved her hand dismissively as she talked, and a small smile crept onto Ranboos face.</p><p>'Thank you- uh, I mean- uh-'  Eret cut off their rambling with a loud laugh, and they couldn't help but laugh along.</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, things would be alright after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>bench trio friendship and ranboo + eret friendship my beloveds.......</p><p>next up: an interlude, and a time skip.  also, arson.</p><p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. the sea is bubbling beyond the shore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream has an uncomfortable, yet necessary conversation with his friends.</p><p>Ranboo enjoys life, for once.</p><p>Maybe he spoke too soon.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*phil voice* hey mate</p><p>look.  buddy.  I know it's been *checks calendar* 23 entire days since I posted a chapter, but it turns out writing dialogue for four people that you don't watch is shockingly hard.</p><p>shoutout to CassidyBlack, whose comment singlehandedly gave me the motivation to finish this chapter.</p><p>small tw for blood mention and sensory overload!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A breath escaped his lips, and, for just a moment, everything was fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wind blew gently behind him, a soft caress of slightly warm air brushing the back of his neck.  Birds sang their songs somewhere in the background, waves playing an accompanying tune in front of him.  The sun warmed his aching joints, his freshly washed hoodie shifted comfortably against his skin, and the scent of fresh-baked brownies danced through the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a beautiful day.  If it had been any other day, he would've been able to enjoy it.  Maybe he'd go sit at the beach, reading a book and forgetting about his past for a while.  Or, maybe he'd go hang out with some of his friends and romp around the SMP, maybe cause a little light-hearted chaos while they were at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, though, he had shit to do.  As much as he would've liked to slack off all day in the sun, he couldn't blow off such important plans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a steadying breath, Dream stepped inside BadBoyHalo and Skeppy's quartz mansion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cool air greeted him as he stepped into the lavish structure.  It was a stark difference to the warmth he had just experienced outside, though a welcomed difference at that.  He was never quite sure how Bad and Skeppy kept the mansion so cool all the time, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the quartz.  The smooth, white stone was cold to the touch as he ran his fingers across it.  It wasn't too far of a reach to suggest that it could be altering the temperature of the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe he was going crazy.  Both possibilities were just as likely, really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were voices echoing out from the kitchen, slightly muffled, but clear enough for him to make out five distinct notes.  A grin spread across his face as he walked through the mansion.  He quickly reached the kitchen, tracing a practiced path through the winding halls.  He used to get lost quite often in them, but had since visited so many times he could walk through them blindfolded.  What could he say, Bad's house was very welcoming, and if Bad asked him to come for dinner once a week, who was he to say no?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning a corner into the kitchen, Dream took in the room.  Like the rest of the mansion it was light and airy, full of open space with plenty of elbow room.  The giant floor to ceiling windows on the far wall shed light on the whole room, and made the glass dining table glitter beautifully.  The furnace was currently blazing, he assumed it was cooking the brownies he'd smelled earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Speaking of the dining table, though, five people were sat around it, all just noticing his arrival.  At the far side of the table sat Sapnap and George, the blaze hybrid and mushroom hybrid waving enthusiastically to him.  Skeppy and Ant sat on the other side, the cat hybrid giving him a small wave while the diamond golem didn't acknowledge him.  He was too busy talking with Bad, who was sat at the head of the table.  Upon noticing his presence, the demon smiled, cocking voids head towards an empty seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream made his way over, heavily sitting down in the chair across from Bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Hey.'  He said, slipping his mask off and setting it on the table.  Sapnap threw an arm around his shoulders, a wide grin on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Dream!  I thought you'd never come!'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Oh, fuck off, I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> five minutes late.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Ten.'  Skeppy cut in, smirking.  Bad flicked him lightly on the forehead, before turning voids attention back to Dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Now that Dreams here, we should probably get started.'  Void looked around the table, making eye contact with everyone individually, eventually settling voids gaze on Dream.  'You wanna tell us what's got you so bothered?  I think most of us have some sort of idea-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I don't!'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Thank you, Skeppy.  I think the </span>
  <em>
    <span>rest</span>
  </em>
  <span> of us have an idea, though, but it would be nice for you to clear everything up.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream breathed in, and let out a stuttery exhale.  Where could he even start?  There were so many things brewing, so many old mistakes coming back to bite his ass.  He opened his mouth a few times, but each time he did the words died on his tongue.  They felt like ash in his mouth, and he held back the urge to cough.  If he was going to give them the whole picture, he'd have to tell them things he swore to never reveal to anyone.  He wasn't too keen to do that, but, what choice did he have?  If he didn't tell them everything, they wouldn't be able to help him, and he'd be in more shit than before.  Besides, what was the worst that could happen from him telling them?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Prime, there was so much that could go wrong. He didn't want to lose his friends, not now, not in such a vulnerable time.  Would they hate him?  Would they shun him?  Would they hunt him down?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hunt him down </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reminded himself.  They'd already done it before, what was stopping them from doing it again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing, a voice in the back of his head whispered.  Absolutely nothing)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shuddered</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Dream?'  George whispered, leaning in close.  Dream let his face fall from the grimace it had formed into, and looked around the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I'm-  sorry.  I'm not quite sure how to start this off.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Take your time.'  Ant reassured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Alright.  Well, I'm sure you all saw the- ah, the ping in the global chat.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the words left his mouth, an uncomfortable tension fell over the room.  Sapnap shifted awkwardly in his chair, a frown on his face.  Bad and Skeppy swapped looks, and George worried his lip between his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Yeah.  So…….. I…. When I saw the message, I didn't want to believe it was him.  I thought that maybe, just maybe, it was someone else with his name, you know?  That- that maybe, just, just maybe!  Just maybe, life was being kind to me for once.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'But that's not the case, is it?'  Bad murmured, their pure white eyes downcast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'..... I saw him.  I- I went to spawn, and I saw him.  Like I told Sap, he's… Prime, he's so different.  I know that it's been years, a-and i shouldn't have expected him to be the exact same, but…. I still wasn't expecting </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> how different he is.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Comforting murmurs echoed around the table, and George laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.  Skeppy looked confused, though, and glanced around at everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Am…. Am I the only one who is confused?  What the fuck are we talking about?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Language!'  Bad yelled, looking furious as Skeppy barked out a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'No, but seriously, who are we talking about, and why are they important?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream sighed, and dragged a hand down his face.  'Ah, yeah.  I always tend to forget that only Bad knew you before you came to the server.  Sorry, you've probably been pretty confused.  Bad, Ant, George, and Sapnap already know what I'm talking about 'cause we've been friends for ages, but…. Ah, never mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'The new member of the server, Ranboo.  He's……. He's my younger brother.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream nearly laughed at the incredulous look that spread across Skeppys face.  His mouth hung wide open, and his eyes widened in shock.  The golem looked frantically between the others sat at the table, his incredulity only growing upon seeing that no one else looked shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I- what?  Sorry, what?  You never said you had a whole goddamn brother!'  He exclaimed, throwing his diamond-encrusted hands in the air for emphasis.  Sapnap barked out a laugh at that, and Dream hid his own smile behind a hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Yeah.  Yeah, I- uhm, I have a brother.  He takes after our mother much more than he does our other parent, so he… doesn't look very much like me.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Aww, Dream, don't put yourself down like that!'  Sapnap chided, wiggling a finger at him.  'I know Boo got all the good-looking genes, but you still look alrig--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream cut his sentence short by smacking him upside the head.  Sapnap cackled, and rubbed his head with a look of pure glee on his face.  Ant frowned a little, and leaned forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Wait, if you're saying that Ranboo got the good-looking genes, does that mean you think Dream's mom is hot?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small silence fell after his words, before the table erupted in laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'What?  </span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>  No, no, no, what?  Don't call my mom hot!'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I mean, I've never met your mom, she might be fire-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Please for the love of Prime, shut up.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'George, I'm just going to start talking about </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> mom next!'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'DO NOT-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Please stop talking about our moms-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Alright!'  Bad cut in.  Void clapped voids hands together, effectively silencing the entire table.  Bad scrubbed voids face with voids hands, a look of both utter exhaustion and complete doneness on voids face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Enough monkeying around, you muffinheads.  We came here for a reason, remember?  Dream, what are we going to do about Ranboo?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Ah, yeah.'  Dream straightened his posture, a frown falling across his face.  'Well, first of all, he doesn't remember me.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he spoke he started fiddling with his hands, eyes locked on to his fingers as they twisted and clenched.  He totally wasn't avoiding the pitying looks he knew he'd find on his friends' faces- no, he simply just liked how his fingers looked while they were moving.  Totally.  No other ulterior motive there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Awe, Dream, im-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'He's staying with Eret right now,' He cut in, not letting Bad finish voids sentence. 'Though, I'm pretty sure he's going to be living in L'Manburg.  That place, unfortunately, seems like it would be a good place for him.  For now, at least.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'For now?'  Ant echoed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Well, duh, yeah 'for now.'  I'm not gonna let my </span>
  <em>
    <span>brother</span>
  </em>
  <span> of all people stay in that shit hole.  He can stay there while we figure out his memories, and then, when he's back, he can come live with me.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A beat of silence passed.  Then, two.  Then, three. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream leaned back in his chair, tearing his gaze away from his hands, and casting it around the room.  The others at the table each held different, yet all disheartening, expressions.  Sapnaps, George's, and Ants were all stuck somewhere around discomfort, confusion, and, the worst of all, mild horror.  Bad's was stuck strictly in pity, exactly as he thought it would be.  Skeppy's, though, Skeppy's shocked him some.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skeppy's face held one emotion- recognition.  Dream didn't want to think too hard about what the hell that could mean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'........ what?'  He mumbled, suddenly quite unsure of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bad and Skeppy swapped a quick look, before the former spoke up in a quiet voice.  'Well, Dream……… I'm…. Oh, I'm not sure how to say it.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Spit it out.  I'm not going- I'm not going to bite your head off, or something, Bad.'  Dream laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Alright, well….. maybe…. Maybe you need to consider what he wants too, before you talk about removing him from L'Manburg?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dreams blood ran cold.  A shiver wracked down his spine, and he bit down- </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard-</span>
  </em>
  <span> on his lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I just- i mean, he's his own person, you know?'  Bad reasoned, voids hands up in a comforting gesture.  'What if he really likes it in L'Manburg, and wants to stay there? It would be cruel to tear him away if he's truly happy there.  I just- i don't know, Dream.  It feels weird to make plans about someone's life without consulting them first.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tasted blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'He's his own person, Dream.  You can try and influence him, but ultimately, he's the one who has to decide what he wants, and where he wants to live.  And, if it turns out that isn't with you, that's okay!  You'll still see each other a lot, I'm sure of it.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fangs sunk deep into the inside of his lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'I think our plan for right now should be to get closer to him, and get to know the new him.  We haven't seen him in a while, and obviously he's changed quite a bit.  That might spark up some old memories, and if it doesn't, that's fine.  We can work with him to try and get them back.  After all, we've all kno-'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A light ringing filled Dream's ears.  Something was slowly filling up his mouth, and all he could taste was copper.  He felt his eye twitch, and his pointed ears flattened against his head.  One of his hands twitched towards his waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He barely registered anything that was happening around him, too caught up in the persistent ringing in his ears.  Faintly, he thought he could hear Sapnap cut Bad off, his voice edged with anger and concern.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand came to rest on his shoulder.  An elbow nudged his arm.  Something cold and porcelain was gently pushed into his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream knew what he must look like, shaking and quietly fuming in his chair.  It wasn't anything the others hadn't seen before, but he still felt awful everytime it happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> sitting in his chair.  He was shifting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike most hybrids, Dream was one of the few that had the unique gift of shapeshifting.  There were a handful of other people on the server who could shapeshift as well, namely Quackity, Bad, and Fundy, but unlike them, Dream chose to show as few hybrid traits as possible.  The only ones he kept on a daily basis were his pointed ears, spade-tipped tail, fangs, and black freckles.  When he got upset, though, especially if he was angry, he couldn't control his shapeshifting quite as well.  It was the main reason he wore his mask everywhere- if he ever lost control of his appearance, no one would be able to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel his skin crawling, shifting and changing, revealing his true nature to everyone in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all just……. So, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hands, the touches, the ringing mixing with his friends voices, the blood </span>
  <em>
    <span>prime it was blood wasn't it</span>
  </em>
  <span> filling his mouth, the way that his skin roiled and itched as it changed shape- Dream didn't get sensory overload often, but damn did it hit hard when he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the ringing reached its climax, the piercing sound drowning out even his own thoughts, the world was sucked out from beneath his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next thing he knew he was laying flat on his back.  The sun beat gently down on his uncovered face, warming his cheeks and making his shredded lips tingle.  Gently, he pushed himself onto his elbows, surveying his surroundings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was near Fundys base, laying in the grass just next to the fox statue.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With an exhale he stood on shaky legs, flinching as something fell from his lap onto the ground.  He quickly picked up the offending item, and turned the smooth object over in his hands.  A smiley face stared back at him from the front of his mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Movement at the corner of his vision caught his attention.  He snapped his head around to look at it, but only found his own reflection staring back at him from a small puddle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be frank, he looked like a mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dirty-blonde hair was all ruffled and out of place, black streaks interlacing here and there.  Small patches of black skin crept across his complexion, the freckles that the patches consumed turning a bright white.  His eyes shone bright red as always, but his pupils were slitted and his irises were glowing slightly.  To top it all off, small purple particles were still floating gently around his form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and spat on the ground, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.  The dark red- almost black- liquid smeared across his hand and face, and he sighed.  He'd have to find somewhere to wash this off.  He didn't want to go around looking like he'd bitten someone's face off or something- though, he didn't think that anyone on the server would assume he had.  Even if they knew about his Enderman genes, the people here were far from the type to call hybrids names like that.  Shit, he could count the amount of humans in the server on two hands.  The other hybrids knew what is was like to be called those sorts of names, and the humans living in the server were too kind to try that sort of shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A buzz from his pocket broke him out of his trance, and he ripped his gaze away from his hand.  Dream sighed, slipped on his mask, and pulled out his comms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today was shaping up to be a long, tiring day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>____________________</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next few days passed quite pleasantly for Ranboo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spent the time settling into L'Manburg, becoming familiar with the surrounding area and getting comfortable in his new house.  It was a quaint, cute little place, if a little squishy and small.  He had to duck slightly whenever he was in his attic, the ceiling just slightly too short for his height.  That was fine, though, because everywhere else in the house was fine.  He'd even managed to do some decorating!  Niki and Eret came by one day with some housewarming gifts, some of which being a couple houseplants and a painting.  There were also a few random blocks scattered around the main floor- all in all, he'd say it was pretty cozy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creaking of the platforms at night took a few days to get used to, but he could confidently say that it didn't bother him too much anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They'd even met a few more people in passing!  Sapnap, a blaze hybrid that gifted them a fancy lantern for their bedroom.  Sam, a creeper hybrid who, frankly, terrified them down to their core.  Puffy, a kind sheep hybrid who had also just shown up to the server.  And, how could they forget, Hbomb, who was wearing cat ears and a maid dress when they first saw him.  He was pestering Fundy about something or other, they didn't really stick around to see what it was about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their memory wasn't that awful, either.  They hadn't had any more forgetful episodes, and the book Eret gave them made sure they didn't forget anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They'd even hung out with their new friends a bit more!  Tubbo seemed to have taken a liking to them, and he'd taken them on walks around the server multiple times.  It was fun learning the history of the area from him, he spun the stories in such fantastical ways.  They'd hung out with Fundy a bit too, fishing with him off the docks and foraging in the nearby woods.  Niki had dropped off more than a few pastries, all of which they'd been glad to receive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was it jinxing it for them to think that maybe, just maybe, they had finally found a permanent place to settle down?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>……….</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Ranboo, you wanna commit some crimes with me?  Maybe a little bit of, as they say, light arson?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah.  Maybe it was.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>uh oh</p><p>I think we all know what comes next, but you might not know exactly /how/ it happens, or what comes after.</p><p>not here, at least.  canon is a sandbox, and I'm an unruly toddler that was left alone by their parents.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want more brother!dream content, check out my tumblr @sunstar121! I have an entire tag chock-full of the stuff &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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